Reykjavík Grapevine - 09.03.2007, Blaðsíða 3

REYKJAVÍK_GRAPEVINE_ISSUE 03_007_NEWS_050_RVK_GV_ISSUE 03_007_LETTERS
An open letter to Páll Hilmarsson
Dear sir,
how dare you state that mighty
BLACK-METAL is bad?
You obviously have no taste in
- nor knowledge of - music. Either
that or you are the world’s biggest
sissypants square/lame excuse for
an anarchist. I demand that you
resign from your post reviewing
records for the Grapevine.
And what the hell is wrong
with songs about Church burnings
anyway?
Thank you,
-Haukur Sigurbjörn Magnússon
Dear Haukur,
I believe you are referring to a line
in a CD review by the Grapevine’s
distinguished CD reviewer, Páll Hil-
marsson, where he says: “Metal
can be great. We all know that.
Almost any kind of metal is great,
with the exception of black-metal,
which is not great.” I would have
granted Páll an opportunity to an-
swer your ridiculous accusations,
but he is currently unavailable,
somewhere deep in the Cambo-
dian jungle, on an assigment to
find Colonel Kurtz, the original
portrayer of Black Metal.
Obviously, that last statement
is only half truth, but I guess it
is too much to ask of you to see
beyond the thinly veiled sarcasm,
much as with Páll’s statement. Ob-
viously, you have no sense of the
finer tools of the journalistic trade,
used for comic effect and the gen-
eral amusement of the reader. Páll
is not a person who is known for
making grand and sweeping gen-
eralisations, let alone secluding a
whole genre of music on the ba-
sis of a comparitive analysis. He
would, however, and indeed he
has, made such statements for the
purposes of amusement and gen-
eral shock.
As for your even more dumb-
founding question regarding
songs about church burnings. No-
body said anything to the effect
that singing about church burn-
ings was wrong, but since you
asked… Obviously, singing about
church burnings is pretty much
on par with singing about white
supremacy or violence against
women. It is a message of hate,
glorifying the discrimination of a
group of people on the basis of
their religion. Obviously, I will de-
fend your right to talk out of your
ass, ad infinitum, etc, but being
loud doesn’t make you right. If all
you intend to use your freedom of
speech for is to prove your own
ignorance, then perhaps you are
one of those people who would
be better off living in a country
where the government takes an
active role in silencing the voices
of dissent.
Ed.
Dear Editor,
I am from New York City working
here temporarily in Iceland. I’ve
been coming here for years for both
fun and work. I arrived here in No-
vember. About a month later I was
violently assaulted and landed in the
hospital.
Unfortunately, no bones were
broken (....or so I was told because
my case apparently would have
received attention). Here it is 2.5
months later and the attacker (my
Icelandic ex-boyfriend) has not been
served with the court summons.
The officers who I filed the com-
plaint with don’t return my “check-
ing in” SMS’s or phone calls. They’re
very busy with the investigations of
actual violent crimes, they told me
two months ago. (Gee, I thought
NYC was tough.)
If I must be held hostage by IS
red tape, I at least want to warn
other foreigners what they can ex-
pect if they are attacked here.
No wonder so many people
drop these kinds of charges --too
much time to reconsider and sec-
ond guess the emotional and physi-
cal impact of the violation.
PS, I’m so happy to have the Grape-
vine to read!
Best,
Xxxxxx (name withheld by ed.)
Dear Xxxxxx,
Your story is really heartbreaking,
but sadly, not unique. Charges
against violent offenders are in-
deed often dropped, since criminal
investigators, overworked and un-
derpaid as they are, don’t have the
manpower to follow up on investi-
gations. I suspect their inadequacy
to do their job sadly results in them
lashing out at those who least de-
serve it, the victims themselves.
Obviously, this is inexcusable in ev-
ery way. But there is only one way
to deal with this problem: to keep
applying pressure on police authori-
ties, following up on your case, and
let them know that burying cases
won’t make them go away. That is
the only way to force changes.
I realise it can be draining, but I urge
you to stay strong and see to it that
your case is seen through.
I wish you luck.
Ed.
Hi:
I’m visiting Iceland soon and found
and subscribed to The Grapevine
online just today.
I enjoyed the article A Staple
of Downtown Shopping, but I
think you mean visitors from North
America are “prudish,” not pru-
dent. Speaking for myself, I know I
am prudish and rarely appear nude
even to myself -- however, I, like
many of my fellows Americans, am
not always prudent. I carry a lot of
credit card debt and yet I’m going on
an England + Iceland trip; I’ve been
married too many times; and I just
moved back to Minnesota (which is
just digging out of the worst snow-
storms of the past five years or so)
from California.
Yes, prudish; prudent, no.
I’m enjoying the articles very much,
Sue Cross
Dear Susan,
The ideal blend of course, is a person
that is neither prudish nor prudent.
Even more preferably that person
would be tall and handsome, and
loaded… Yes, I think we are on to
something here.
Ed.
In my book Daniel Pollock is a savior/
hero for having the balls and energy
to create and run a pro-rehearsal
facility to accomodate a blooming
music scene that has brought forth
artist’s that have brought interna-
tional attention to Iceland and bol-
stered the economy considerably in
numerous ways. Lay Low is a recent
example of an artist coming from
the ranks of TÞM to rise to consider-
able national sucess and poised to
make her mark world wide. It is no
accident Bjök will be rehearsing for
her upcoming world tour at TÞM.
the facilities of TÞM are on par with
any other proffessional rehearsal
facilities in the western world. Con-
sidering music being one of icelands
greatest exports since 1987 when
The Sugarcubes charmed the pants
off the world popular music com-
munity it is quite puzzling that the
icelandic political community, mov-
ers & shakers , money holders and
makers have had such a severe lack
of vision and interest in taking this
local and international industry se-
riously. 12 million kronur a year to
keep TÞM running is adrop in the
bucket to those in power in Iceland
and as to the return on such an in-
vestment its a no-brainer for any 1st
year economy student who is not
stifled by a age old business ailment
called Greed - Fast Turnover/Fast re-
turns - Tunnel Vision. A clear symp-
ton of the Tunnel Vision- Blindfold
Ailment is : Spend 500 kronur and
lose 5,000 kronur. Its very conta-
gious. I´ve witnessed a lot of com-
panies and individuals rise , fall and
die from taht disease. I hope all
Grapevine readers near and far will
urge the icelandic givernment , the
economic power holders on and be-
hind the scene´s to move NOW to
contribute the support TÞM needs
to survive & thrive...ViVa TÞM!!!
M.D. Pollock
World Citizen
Right on brother!
Ed.
Cappuccino + bagle + yoghurt = 650 kr.
Pornographers To Convene
In Reykjavík
Uncovering a story that has already en-
raged Iceland’s feminist collective to an
oft-reached boiling point, RÚV reported on
February 15th that up to 150 veterans of the
international pornography industry were
planning to convene for a week of network-
ing and fun in Iceland in March. The annual
convention was referred to as Snowgather-
ing and is apparently one of the largest ag-
gregations of web-based porn-merchants
in the world.
Accompanied by renowned artists such
as “Dutch hotty Sandy Cage” and “UK Par-
ty Animal Daisy Rock”, the pornographers
were planning to meet up in Reykjavík’s
Radisson SAS hotel on Wednesday March
7th for some cocktails before partaking in
such conventional activities as snowboard-
ing in Akureyri, visiting strip-clubs and tour-
ing the Golden Circle, according to the con-
vention’s web-site. The site goes on to claim
that a scantily clad woman called Eve Angel
wants to meet YOU in Iceland.
Browsing through on-line pictures from
last year’s Snowgathering, which took place
in Austria, one can ascertain that some of
the visiting pornographers use the trip to
manufacture some more of their controver-
sial products. When asked by RÚV’s report-
er if there were plans afoot to produce por-
nography in Iceland, convention organizer
Christina Ponga stated that that would likely
happen, although neither time nor place for
such activities had been planned. She added
that any such productions would take place
in secluded areas, and that the convention’s
guests weren’t planning on shedding any of
their clothes in public. 


Ponga furthermore said that no Icelandic
travel agency or group had anything to do
with organizing the convention; she herself
had visited Iceland in November and chosen
the appropriate venues and activities. 


The group Stígamót (which runs a coun-
selling and information centre for survivors
of sexual abuse and violence) sent out an
open letter to Icelandic authorities urging
them to take action to prevent the conven-
tion from taking place. The letter states
that “[p]ornography is simply documented
prostitution, and prostitution is a premise
for human trafficking to thrive. In 2005,
19 women sought out Stígamót because of
the consequences of prostitution. […] Por-
nography is prohibited in Iceland, and so is
arranging prostitution. Human trafficking is
also prohibited.” 


The foundation closed its plea for ac-
tion by stating that “In Iceland, we have
shown that if we don’t want representa-
tives of organised crime coalitions, we can
stop them. That was for instance revealed
when representatives of Hell’s Angels tried
to gain ground here. We don’t believe that
this convention will be tolerated.”
‘Liberals’ Reveal Link Between
Terrorism, Drug Trafficking
The Icelandic Parliament saw some action
in February, as representatives of the Pro-
gressive and Liberal parties argued heavily
over the nature of terrorism. Spurred by MP
(and recent liberal addition) Valdimar Leó
Friðriksson’s claims that infamous terrorists
had at times been apprehended at the Ke-
flavík International Airport, Keflavík police
authorities stated that no known terrorists
had thus far been captured at the airport. In
response to the statement, Progressive MP
Guðjón Ólafur Jónsson called for Liberal MPs
to enlighten the parliament of exactly which
terrorists had been apprehended to their
knowledge. 


Responding to Jónsson’s enquiries, the
Liberal Party’s vice-president Magnús Þór
Hafsteinsson pointed out that passengers
were frequently caught with materials to
produce “massive” amounts of narcotics.
This, claimed Hafsteinsson, is what Friðriks-
son (who was on sick-leave from parliament
that day) was referring to. 


To irrefutably establish the link between
terrorism and drug-trafficking, Hafsteinsson
then quoted the Icelandic dictionary’s defini-
tion of terrorism (“sabotage, manslaughter,
wounding”), adding: “What is the mass-pro-
duction and distribution of narcotics in this
country other than sabotage, wounding and
even manslaughter?” Jónsson responded
to Hafsteinsson’s explanations, saying they
were a pitiful attempt to justify his fellow
MP’s outrageous claims through free word-
association, adding that Liberal MPs should
see fit to apologise to Icelanders and their
parliament. As of today, no such apologies
have surfaced.
Oil Company Sentenced To Pay
Customer Reparations
In what may prove to be a pivotal ruling,
Reykjavík district court recently sentenced
Ker, former owners of the Esso oil company,
to pay a former customer, Sigurður Hreins-
son, damages to the sum of 15,000 ISK for
his losses on account of the company’s illegal
co-operation with other Icelandic oil distrib-
utors. Ker was also sentenced to pay Hreins-
son 500,000 ISK in court costs. The company
has already stated its intentions to appeal the
ruling to the Supreme Court. 


Hreinsson filed his claim on Ker in the af-
termath of an Icelandic competition authori-
ties ruling, which deemed that the country’s
major oil companies had illegally co-oper-
ated from 1993-2001. He provided evidence
showing that he bought gasoline from Esso
to the amount of 1.2 million ISK during a six-
year period from 1995-2001, and his main
claim was for reparations of 180,000 ISK.
Hreinsson suit was firmly backed up by The
Consumers’ Association of Iceland. 


Given that the supreme court does not
reverse the ruling, it may be assumed that
Ker and the other illegally co-operating com-
panies, Olíuverzlun Íslands and Skeljungur,
will face countless charges from customers
wishing to recoup some of the money they
lost during the companies’ reign of corrup-
tion in the 90s. 


73% Favour More Environmental
Protection
According to a recent Gallup Capacent poll,
conducted for the Iceland Nature Conserva-
tion Association, roughly 73% of Icelanders
believe that political parties should place
more focus on environmental protection. 


When asked if political parties should give
more attention to environmental protection,
37,2% answered that the parties should give
a lot more attention to environmental pro-
tection, while 35,6% answered that the par-
ties should give more attention to the topic. 


22,6% Answered that they believed that
environmental protection was receiving ad-
equate attention, while 4,6% believed that
environmental protection was receiving too
much attention. 


There was a noticeable difference in opin-
ion between the sexes, with around 78%
of women in favour of more environmental
protection, with 67% of men answering the
same way. 
Of 1350 people polled, 800 an-
swered.
Pornographers’ Convention
CANCELLED!
The SnowGathering 2007 pornographers’
convention, set to take place in Reykjavík
was cancelled. The convention’s organizers,
FreeOnes.com, announced their decision af-
ter receiving word from Hótel Saga – where
they had booked several rooms – that their
reservations were being cancelled. In an
earlier statement from the Icelandic Farm-
ers’ Association, owners of Hótel Saga, they
announced that they would not be hosting
the convention due to announcements from
various politicians, feminist groups and the
Mayor of Reykjavík. The statement also said
that the decision was backed up by Rezidor
Hotel Group, the proprietors of Radisson SAS
hotels. A later announcement stated that the
hotel planned to stop showing lite-porn on
their Pay Per View channels.
According to a press release, FreeOnes.
com are currently seeking legal advice as to
how they can recoup the resulting financial
damages, which are reportedly high. 


Air Pollution Reaches Critical
Levels
Reykjavík air pollution exceeded recom-
mended health care levels on February 26th,
and reached high levels again the day after.
City officials issued a warning, advising old
people, children and people with respitory
deceases to stay indoors. 


The combination of frost, snowless streets
and still wind create conditions in Reykjavík
that generate high pollution levels caused by
airborne micro dust particles stirred up by
traffic. 


Health care limits in Reykjavík are set at
50 micrograms per cubicmeter (ug/m3) in
24-hours. On February 26th, pollution was
measured at 66,1 ug/m3. This was the fifth
time this year that pollution exceeded health
care limits. Reykjavík city is taking measures
to reduce the number of days when pollu-
tion exceeds health care limits, with the tar-
get being no more than 23 days this year.
Hagur Hafnarfjarðar Accused
Of Fear Propaganda
Sól í Straumi, an interest group in Haf-
narfjörður opposing plans to enlarge the
Straumsvík aluminium plant, have harshly
criticised the organisation Hagur Hafnarf-
jarðar, a group of people and companies
that have vested interests in the smelter, and
accused them of being biased and using fear
propaganda to influence the people of Haf-
narfjörður to vote in favour of the enlarge-
ment. 


The smelter (it’s the one you pass when
driving to or from the Keflavík Airport) is
owned by the industrial giant Alcan Iceland
Ltd., which is now planning to increase the
smelter’s annual capacity from 170,000 tons
to 460,000 tons. The inhabitants of Haf-
narfjörður will get the chance to vote on the
subject on March 31st. 

The newly established organisation Hagur
Hafnarfjarðar has one main goal, to support
a bigger smelter so as to maintain a flourish-
ing economy in Hafnarfjörður, as they put it.
In reaching that goal, their spokesmen have
been encouraging Hafnarfjörður inhabitants
to vote in favour of the enlargement, arguing
that if they reject these plans the smelter will
close down in the near future. That will have
dramatic effects on the smelter’s employees
as well as all the companies doing business
with Alcan, which are, according to Hagur
Hafnarfjarðar, approximately 1,500 people
and more than one hundred companies. 


Sól í Straumi, refute these predictions al-
together. In a statement they accuse Hagur
Hafnarfjarðar of using misleading informa-
tion and fear propaganda to influence the
townspeople. According to the statement,
Sól í Straumi challenge Hagur Hafnarfjarðar
to be more responsible in the debate and
stop trying to persuade Hafnarfjörður inhab-
itants by arguing that their jobs are in dan-
ger. They also reject the statement made by
Hagur Hafnarfjarðar that 5-7% of the munic-
ipality’s income can be traced to the smelter.
The number is closer to 1-2% of the town’s
total income, they argue. 


These debates aren’t expected to con-
clude before the big day.
News in Brief
Text by Haukur Magnússon, Steinunn Jakobsdóttir and Sveinn Birkir Björnsson
Sour Grapes
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